


Roommates

by AmableAngel



Category: Mystic Messenger (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Roommates/Housemates, Amnesia, Depression, F/M, Moving, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Suicide Attempt, everyone has different hair and MC is laughing, i love seven so so much, lots of shirt sobbing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-02
Updated: 2017-07-16
Packaged: 2018-09-27 23:06:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 14,787
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10056008
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AmableAngel/pseuds/AmableAngel
Summary: The former RFA members are living in an apartment in downtown Seoul. When a strange woman comes into their lives, everything changes. For the better, or the worse?-- ABANDONED, SEE LAST CHAPTER





	1. The Beginning

**Author's Note:**

> Enjoy! Kudos are appreciated!
> 
> *insert usual disclaimer stuff*

“I’m home!” Seven yelled out as he entered the apartment. He kicked off his shoes and breathed in deeply. The aroma of chicken wafted through the air, mixed with the scent of coffee.  _ Home. _

 

“Finally. You’re late, idiot,” Jaehee grumbled, not looking up from her book as Seven walked in. “What can I say, Mama Jaehee? They needed special agent 707 on the mission!” he replied cheerfully. She glared at him in response. 

 

“Ahh,” Seven said as he inhaled. “What’s Chef Yoosung making for us today?”

 

“Well, as it happens, we already ate dinner, but we did save you some. I’m heating it up right now, actually,” Yoosung said from his post in the kitchen. He was humming and stirring something in the pot.

 

“Thanks! I’ll be right back. Then we can start the movie marathon.” Seven rubbed his hands together excitedly as he made his way to his bedroom. His bedroom was an average size, but messy, considering that he shared it with Yoosung. Both of them were slobs, according to Jaehee. 

 

Seven shrugged his messenger bag off onto his bed, where it landed with a crunch. “Aha! So that’s where you’ve been!” He dug underneath the comforter and pulled out a half-empty bag of Honey Buddha Chips. Seven popped one in his mouth and headed to the bathroom.

 

~

 

Rain poured down on Seoul. Lightning flashed through the night sky, to be followed by rolls of thunder.

 

Only a little ways down the street from where the apartment complex was located, a woman with long brown hair emerged from a hospital, looking quite frazzled. She looked around wildly, as if searching for something. Or someone. 

 

Her hair was sticking to her face, and her clothes were soaked. 

 

She pulled a phone out and her face scrunched up in confusion. The woman looked up from her phone and scanned the streets. A sound came from an alley behind her. Whirling around, she saw a strange man with a face mask and white hair with pink tips emerging from the alley. Panicked, she ran to the nearest building she saw, assuming it was a hotel of some sort. However, it was an apartment complex.  _ The  _ apartment complex. 

 

Things were about to get interesting. The man with white hair and pink tips smiled. 

 

~

 

Jumin was leaving the complex to get popcorn when he saw a woman rush in. She was clearly in a hurry, her hair going in all different directions. She spun her head around, and saw Jumin. The woman ran over to him and grabbed him by the shoulders. He was thoroughly confused. No one had ever grabbed him by the shoulders, especially not a stranger. It was slightly humorous though, since the woman was about five feet tall, while he was towering over her at six feet. 

 

Taken aback, he did not say anything, but the strange woman was trying to catch her breath. Jumin waited, and she was finally able to spit out a sentence. “Someone… is after… me. I need… a place to… stay… for a bit. Please.”

 

Jumin, still bewildered, agreed, not knowing what was happening. After all, she could be dangerous. But just the sight of her made him feel pity. She was a mess. Albeit a pretty mess, but still. He beckoned her towards the elevator, and soon enough they were in front of the apartment that he, Seven, Yoosung, Zen, and Jaehee shared. 

 

Unlocking the door, she followed him into the apartment. “Jumin! You’re back!” Zen’s face appeared around the corner. When he saw the woman beside Jumin, his face scrunched up in confusion. “Who’s that?” he said, pointing to the girl. 

 

“She’s… um--” Jumin was interrupted by a female voice. “Okay! Now that Jumin’s here, we can start!” Jaehee entered the already cramped hallway, and looked at the female in puzzlement and wide eyes. 

 

“Babe, I think movie night’s going to have to wait,” Zen said to Jaehee. 

 

“Yeah. Jumin, what’s her name? And she needs a change of clothes, right now, or she’s going to get hypothermia or something.” Jaehee took the woman by the arm, all business, and she went without any resistance. Jaehee didn’t even wait for a response from Jumin. 

 

“So, what’s her name?” Zen asked, turning back to Jumin.

 

“I… um…” Jumin realized that he never even asked the name of the woman. “I don’t know, actually,” he said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. 

 

“Oh, my god. Are you kidding me? Actually, I’m not even surprised. Mega-Jerk Jumin doesn’t even ask a pretty girl’s name.”

 

“Okay, calm down. Now can I actually enter my home, please? I’m freezing,” Jumin said irritably. 

 

Zen gestured grandly, as if to say,  _ Please, come on in.  _ “Jerk,” he muttered under his breath as Jumin passed by. 

 

“I heard that,” Jumin called from inside the kitchen. 

 

Zen gave a tiny smile. As long as he and Jumin were fighting, everything was okay in his world.

 

~

 

Jaehee ran to her closet and picked out the most comfortable clothes she could find. A brown cable-knit sweater, a pair of black leggings, a bra (judging by the look of her chest, the woman and Jaehee had about the same cup size), and a pair of underwear from an unopened pack. 

 

“Go in there and change,” Jaehee said as she shooed the woman into the bathroom goodnaturedly. She gave a tiny smile to Jaehee and went in. 

 

_ Wait. What’s her name? Eh, I’ll ask her when she comes out.  _

 

Jaehee hurried to the kitchen where Jumin was taking leftover chicken soup from the microwave. “I found this in the fridge--” Jumin was interrupted yet again by Jaehee as she snatched the bowl from him and began rummaging through the utensil drawer. “Hey! You already ate, didn’t you?” Jumin protested. 

 

“It’s not for me. It’s for that tiny girl you brought in. Poor thing looks like she’s frozen.” 

 

“Okay, okay. I’ll just starve, thanks. And to answer your question, I don’t know her name.” Jumin began going through the fridge in order to find something edible. “She just kind of ran into me in the lobby and asked me for a place to stay. I didn’t even think about asking her name. Aha! This looks good.” Jumin held up a sandwich covered in foil. Turning around, Jaehee eyed the sandwich and raised one eyebrow. 

 

“Just so you know, Seven made that.” 

 

“Never mind.” Jumin placed the sandwich back in the fridge in disgust and left for his room. 

 

Jaehee rushed back to her room, soup in hand, as the girl emerged from the bathroom and sat down on the bed. “Everything fits?” Jaehee inquired with a warm smile. For the first time, the girl spoke. Her voice was soft, and Jaehee could barely hear the words coming out of her mouth. “Yes. Thanks.” 

 

“Good! Now, what’s your name?” Jaehee asked, handing the bowl of soup to the woman.

 

~

 

Yoosung was having a crappy day, to say the least. He bungled up too many orders at the coffee place today, and he accidentally spilled coffee on that really, really cute girl who came to the cafe everyday. If anyone but Jaehee were his boss, he would’ve been fired by now. 

 

On top of that, LOLOL was on server maintenance. Yoosung groaned and hit his head on his desk repeatedly. 

 

“Hey.” Jumin poked his head into Yoosung’s room. He lifted his head up. “Oh, hey,” Yoosung responded. 

 

“By the way, movie night is cancelled. An issue came up. I don’t really know how to explain it, but you should go see Jaehee. And umm…” Jumin scanned the room. “Where’s Seven? Isn’t he back by now?”

 

As if on cue, Seven walked into the room, holding a can of Dr. Pepper and a plate of chicken. “Speak of the devil,” Jumin said, rolling his eyes. 

 

“Heya!” Seven slurped his soda loudly. He placed his food on his desk and took a seat. “Lemme guess. You want to play LOLOL, but it's on server maintenance. You also have an exam tomorrow, and you haven’t even touched your textbook.” 

 

Yoosung nodded glumly and put his head back down on the desk. “I think you guys should really head over to Jaehee’s room if you want to see the new person,” Jumin interjected, turning to leave the room.

 

Seven and Yoosung whirled around to face where Jumin was standing. “New person?! What do you mean?” 

 

No answer. 

 

Seven and Yoosung shrugged and headed out. 

 

~

 

Zen sat at the breakfast bar and popped his earbuds in his ear. The sound of sweet, classical music filled his ears, and he couldn’t hear Jaehee and the strange woman enter the living room. 

 

He felt a tap on his shoulder, and Zen turned around to find his girlfriend glaring at him. He ripped his earbuds out as Jaehee began to speak, “Did you literally not hear me the last five times? I just…” Jaehee began gesturing wildly with her hands as Seven and Yoosung walked into the kitchen. 

 

“Good, I needed to talk to you guys too. Also, get Jumin, will you?” Her attention flicked to Yoosung and Seven, and the former went to go get Jumin. 

  
“Okay, I need to talk to everyone.”


	2. The Introduction

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The strange woman meets everyone.

_ Oh, my god. She’s cuuuuute!  _ was Seven’s first thought when he saw the newcomer. The woman (although she was the height of a middle school girl) was actually quite pretty. Her eyes were a deep brown, and there were no blemishes on her face. She sat down uncomfortably in the armchair, as if it were about to eat her somehow. The girl looked so small in Jaehee’s sweater, the sleeves coming up to her palms.  _ So cute.  _

 

For some reason, Seven’s instinct was to pull her into his arms and give her a big hug. He shook his head mentally, frowning at himself. 

 

“All righty, I’m here.” Jumin finally walked in with Yoosung, and all of them were present. 

 

~

 

The woman scanned the room. The kind-hearted brown haired lady was named Jaehee, she learned. She was over there, jabbering at her white-haired boyfriend, who apparently, was named Zen. She had no idea who the redhead was, but he was pretty cute.  _ Stop it,  _ she chastised herself. 

 

The blond was good-looking, in a cuddly type of way. The black haired one gave off an air of superiority and coldness. It didn’t help that he was at least a foot taller than her. 

 

As she completed her scan, the woman had to stifle a laugh with her palm.  _ They all have different colored hair. Oh my. And Zen has red eyes. Oh lord, the blond has purple eyes. Ha!  _

 

Her thoughts were interrupted by Jaehee’s loud voice. “Guys, let her talk now. I think she should tell you everything.”

 

_ Showtime.  _ All eyes were on her now. She took a deep breath and brushed the hair from out of her face. “I woke up in Cheil General Hospital, the one that is apparently about a minute’s walk away from here. And when I woke up, I didn’t know my name, my age, who my parents were, or anything, really.” Looks of shock flickered across everyone’s face. 

 

“I decided to escape the hospital, but by the time I could, it was nighttime, and I didn't even think about the weather situation. All I had was a thin jacket and a cell phone I found on the nightstand. When I powered the cell phone on, all that popped up was a chat room with someone named Unknown. He kept asking me weird questions. As I was standing in the rain, some random guy with white and pink hair came out of the alley right next to your building. He had a face mask on and he was really creepy. Anyways, I panicked, and I ran into the first building I saw, which, happened to be your building. Um, that’s it.” The woman looked over at Jaehee, who nodded. 

 

“Well, then what do we call you?” The blond one chirped. 

 

She put her finger on her chin, as if thinking hard. Finally, she said, “Call me MC.”

 

~

Yoosung was intrigued by MC. She was short, even shorter than Jaehee, which was saying a lot. MC was actually really pretty, in a simple type of way. 

 

He glanced over at Seven.  _ Oh god. He’s starstruck.  _ Seven would not stop staring at MC. It got to such a point where Yoosung had to poke Seven in the arm to get him to stop. 

 

Seven started and glared at Yoosung. He leaned over to whisper something in Seven’s ear, but was interrupted as Jaehee began to give an announcement. “MC will be staying with us for the time being. She is welcome in this house for as long as she needs. And no one--” Jaehee paused and looked at Seven pointedly. “Will annoy her.” 

 

Seven mocked offense and gasped dramatically as MC giggled into her palm. His eyes widened and he turned a deep shade of red. Yoosung smiled internally. 

 

“Wait, we didn’t introduce ourselves!” Zen said. “I’ll start. I’m Zen, otherwise known as Hyun Ryu. I’m 25 years old, and I work in an acting school. And, no cats, please. I’m allergic. And the love of my life is Jaehee Kang.” Zen gave Jaehee a peck on the cheek and smiled. He gestured for Seven to go next. 

 

“Um, I’m Seven,” he stammered. “My real name is Luciel Choi, but most people call me 707 or Seven. I work for the government, and I’m 22 years old. That’s it. The rest is… top secret!” Seven mimed locking his lips and throwing away the key. MC smiled. 

 

Yoosung volunteered to go next. “I’m Yoosung Kim! I’m 22 years old and I work in Jaehee’s coffee shop. Although I’ll probably get fired at some point since I’m so bad at my job.” Yoosung laughed sheepishly. “I’m also studying to be a vet at SKY university. Ooh, and I love LOLOL!”

 

“I’ll go next. My name is Jumin Han. I’m 25 years old, and I work as the chief assistant for the director of C&R. I love cats. I actually had one, but it ran away, and we never found it.” Jumin looked down, apparently overcome by a wave of sadness. Yoosung patted Jumin comfortingly on the back. 

 

“I’m next. I’m Jaehee Kang, as you know, and I’m 25 years old. I own a coffee shop. That’s pretty much it. Oh, and I really, really like this guy right here.” Jaehee winked and pointed to Zen. He rolled his eyes, and smiled at his girlfriend. 

 

“Wait, where’s MC going to sleep? At least for tonight? She obviously can’t stay in mine and Jaehee’s room, or Yoosung and Seven’s room. And  _ definitely  _ not in Jumin’s room,” Zen said distastefully.

 

“Well, MC can sleep in my room, and I can sleep in Seven’s room. If I recall, there was a spare air mattress we had to buy when V stopped in here for a couple weeks,” Jumin responded. Yoosung’s face hardened at V’s name. 

 

“Okay! We’ll go get the mattress out,” Seven said, pulling on Yoosung’s arm as they headed to Jumin’s room. 

 

“See you in the morning, everyone!” Zen called out as he headed to his room. 

 

“Wait, MC. I’ll give you a pair of pajamas. Hang on,” Jaehee said, going into her room, and producing a pair of nightclothes. “Tomorrow, I’ll take the day off, and go shopping with you.” MC smiled in thanks, and went to the bathroom. 

 

Jumin looked around at the now empty living room with a feeling that everything was going to change soon. A tingling filled his arms, and he shuddered involuntarily.  _ Hm.  _ He got up to go to his room. Jumin turned off the light in the kitchen and living room and smiled into the darkness. 

 

~

 

MC slept fitfully that night. She never expected to be allowed to stay here, not even for the night. As she tossed and turned on the bed, memories of what she hadn’t told them filled her head. 

 

_ She cracked her eyelids open. Everything was foggy. A flash of white, maybe blue, hurt her eyes. MC closed her eyes and groaned. A voice came from the distance. “She’s awake! Doctor Shim, come here!”  _

 

_ The sound of footsteps getting closer and closer. A jab in her shoulder with a needle. Someone grabbing her arms. _

 

_ MC opened her eyes abruptly and began struggling against the person holding her down. “Let me go!” she screamed. She turned her head wildly to get her bearings. A middle aged woman and man rushed into the room. “Oh, MC. You’re awake!” the woman said, smiling. The name ‘MC’ struck a chord in her brain.  _ Maybe it’s my nickname?  _ The woman’s eyes shone with delight.  _

 

_ She stopped struggling and looked at the pair with blank stares. MC looked through her brain, trying to place these people. Zilch. Nada. Nothing.  “Who are you?” she asked, quietly.  _

 

_ The woman’s face crumpled and she broke into tears. She sagged and the man struggled to keep her standing upright.  _

 

_ MC’s original panic ensued when she saw the woman’s reaction.  _ Why can’t I remember anything?! _ she thought. MC swiped at the person holding her down and jumped up from her bed. She looked down and saw she was wearing a hospital gown.  _ I have to get out of here. Now.  _ Grabbing a sweatshirt off of a nearby chair and a cell phone, she tore down the hall and pulled the sweatshirt on.  _

 

_ She heard footsteps running behind her. “Stop that woman!” MC ran faster and burst through the front doors of the hospital.  _

 

_ It was pitch black and sheets of rain were coming down. MC could barely see past the tip of her nose. _

 

_ She hid in an alley as the doctors passed by with flashlights. When all of them were gone, she pulled the cell phone out and pressed the power button. The screen flashed to life and displayed a chatting room. MC wrinkled her nose in confusion. Apparently, someone called Unknown needed her to go somewhere.  _

 

_ MC looked back at her phone-- which was quite hard, considering the amount of rain coming down-- and was startled by a noise behind her.  _

 

_ A strange man with a mask covering the lower half of his face reached out menacingly towards her. MC yelped and scrambled out of the alley, phone clutched tightly in her hand. Her heart pounding, she scanned the street for places to go. Convenience store? No. Restaurant? No. Hotel? Maybe. She could probably run into someone who would allow her to stay with them for at least a night.  _

 

_ She could hear the man getting closer. MC ran into the lobby of the hotel, only to find out that it was an apartment complex. Looking around for someone there, she spotted a tall man with black hair and ran up to him. MC pleaded with him, and soon after, she got a place to stay. _

 

_ Everything was fine. At least for now.  _

 

~

 

Seven rolled around in his bed, unable to sleep. On the other side of the room, Yoosung was as still as a corpse, save for the rise and fall of his chest. Jumin, who was lying on the floor on an air mattress, looked about as comfy as he could get. By the look of it, he was still awake.

 

“Psst. Jumin. You awake?” Seven hissed as he leaned down and poked Jumin. 

 

He rolled over to face Seven and gave him a dirty look. “I am now.”

 

Ignoring Jumin’s expression, Seven asked, “Wait, so how exactly did MC find you?”

 

He sighed and responded, “Well, I was leaving to get popcorn from the store, and she rushed in. She asked if she could stay with me for a while, and that someone was following her. I didn’t really know how to act, so I said okay. That’s literally it.”

 

“Hm.” Seven returned to his position on his bed and stared at the ceiling.

 

“You know, it’s pretty obvious you like her already.”

 

Seven’s attention snapped to Jumin immediately. “W-what do you mean?! I don’t like her! I barely even  _ know  _ her!” 

 

“Yeah, yeah. Say what you want. I’m going to sleep now. Good night.” Jumin rolled over and was soon fast asleep.

 

Seven looked up at the ceiling, half-expecting to see the night sky filled with stars. He sighed.  _ Wherever he is now, I hope he's happy.  _

  
He drifted off into a dreamless sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The second day since the woman arrived.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just some language in this chapter, that's it.
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> *insert usual disclaimer stuff*

Yoosung woke up frantically.  _ Oh, my god. What time is it?!  _ He spun around to see that the clock read 8:00 AM, and he scurried about, trying to find his books and backpack. 

 

He almost stepped on Jumin’s arm trying to locate his-- Yoosung looked at the floor. Jumin?! “Oy, Jumin! Don’t you have to be at work?” he said, kicking Jumin’s arm. He mumbled in response, half-asleep. 

 

“Yoosung, chill. It’s Saturday. No classes today,” Seven called.

 

He breathed a sigh of relief and set his backpack down. “Thank God.”

 

“Besides, it’d be kinda funny if you showed up to your school with your omelette pajamas.”

 

“Shut up.” Yoosung hurled a plastic figurine at Seven’s head. 

 

“Ouch!” Seven cowered behind his pillow. 

 

“Hellooo? Are you guys awake yet?” Jaehee opened the door and switched on the light as the smell of freshly brewed coffee filled the room. 

 

“Gah, turn off the light!” Jumin whined, swiping at nothing with one hand and covering his eyes with another. “How do you even wake up this early?” he grumbled. 

 

“Yeah, yeah. Everyone else is awake now. Except MC.”

 

“What’s for breakfast?” Seven asked. 

 

“I mean, I made it today, since Yoosung was sleeping, but I think it turned out terrible. It was eggs.”

 

Jumin bolted upright. “Eggs?! I’m coming.” He threw off his blanket and went to the kitchen without another word. 

 

Seven and Yoosung shrugged and headed to the kitchen.  

 

~

 

Zen ran around the kitchen trying to keep the toast from burning, as he also ran around trying to find his coat. “Jumin!” he yelled. “Did you take my jacket?” 

 

“I’m right here. No need to yell. And no, I didn’t take your jacket,” Jumin said calmly as he, Seven, and Yoosung walked into the dining area. 

 

“Well, someone did.” Zen scratched his head in frustration and yelped as the toaster began smoking. He groaned and fished out two pieces of bread burnt beyond recognition. 

 

“Babe, it’s right here,” Jaehee called from inside the laundry room. She came out holding the jacket, and Zen swooped her into a hug. “Thank God, Jaehee. You’re a lifesaver.”

 

He shrugged on the coat and gave Jaehee a kiss. “Bye!” he said, as he headed for the doorway. The door slammed shut. 

 

“Alright, where are the eggs?” Jumin asked, rubbing his hands together. 

 

Yoosung walked into the kitchen and an expression of shock filled his face. “Oh, my God. Jaehee, how did you manage to burn _ eggs _ ?” He lifted up the pan to reveal a blackened mess that only slightly resembled scrambled eggs. 

 

“What can I say? I’m terrible at cooking.” Jaehee shrugged. 

 

“I should probably make some more.” Yoosung walked to the fridge and pulled out a couple eggs.

 

Jumin stifled a laugh and snorted. Just then, MC walked in, still looking extremely tiny in Jaehee’s clothes. “Hey, everybody,” she said, smiling at everyone. 

 

Seven’s heart leaped and he smiled back at her.

 

“Okay, as I promised, I took the day off to get you some clothes that fit you,” Jaehee said authoritatively. 

 

MC clapped her hands and grinned. “Thank you so much! I don’t even know how I can repay you for this!” Jaehee waved her hand. “Don’t worry about it. And I have a job for you too. There’s an opening at my cafe.”

 

“Oh, my God. Really?!” MC’s eyes lit up. 

 

“Yeah. I had an idea. Since the opening is for a baker, I thought Yoosung could take that job, and MC could take Yoosung’s job as a waiter.”

 

Yoosung turned around, eyes wide, and tackled Jaehee with a hug. “You’re the best!” 

 

“Yes, yes, I know. Both of you start on Monday.”

 

“The eggs!” Seven pointed to the pan. Yoosung turned around to find that the pan had gone up in flames. He screeched and cowered behind Jaehee. 

 

Jumin, calm as ever, picked up the burning pan by the handle, and walked over to the sink. He turned on the faucet, and water poured over the pan, putting out the flames. Jumin wondered how Yoosung would be capable of working as a baker if he was afraid of burning himself. 

 

“Such bravado, Yoosung,” Seven said mockingly. 

 

Yoosung glared at Seven. “I think it’d be better if we all just had cereal today,” Jaehee said.

 

The others nodded in agreement, and soon enough, they were all at the table eating their breakfast. Seven was seated across MC, and it simultaneously torture and the best thing ever.  _ Wait. Does that mean I’m a masochist? No, no, that’s Yoosung.  _

 

“Okay, at around 10ish, MC and I are going to go.” Jaehee looked at the clock and saw that it read 9:00. “For the next hour or so, we need to figure out sleeping arrangements. We can’t have Jumin sleeping on the air mattress forever.” Jumin nodded in agreement. “So, any suggestions?”

 

Yoosung piped up. “Well, it’s be kind of hard, but we could try to squeeze in another bed into my room. So then Seven, Jumin, and I all share a room.”

 

Jumin shook his head in disagreement. “There’s no way that’ll work. You guys can barely fit your beds in there. I had another idea. It would involve Jaehee not sleeping next to Zen, for the time being. The girls share a room. And Zen and I share a room. He’d hate that, but I think it’s the only way.” 

 

“No. Zen would die if he had to share a room with you.” Jaehee shook her head dismissively. They all frowned, having reached a dead end. 

 

Seven began speaking slowly. “I thought of something, but I don’t know if it’d be good. Let me get my phone.”

 

A minute later he was back, and he opened up a browser. “So a couple days ago, I was looking at cheap 4 bedroom apartments in town for sale. And I found this.” Everyone leaned in to take a look. Seven held up his phone to show an apartment with four good-sized bedrooms, three bathrooms, a lovely kitchen, and an amazing living room. Jaehee squinted at the screen. “Gimme that.” She took the phone and stared at it. She looked up and spoke. “This is kinda like the layout of our current apartment.” Seven nodded and took the phone back.

 

“So where exactly is this apartment?” Jumin inquired. 

 

Seven gave a toothy smile. “That’s the best part. It’s directly above us, on the 14th floor.”

 

Everyone gasped. “Seriously?!” Yoosung asked.

 

“I’m 100% serious.”

 

“Yessss!!” Jaehee gave a Seven a big hug, something she almost never did. Seven was taken aback, but seemed to enjoy the gratitude. Jaehee suddenly withdrew. “How much is it?”

 

Seven grinned. “Same amount you paid for this apartment.” 

 

Everyone’s eyes shone with excitement and they began jumping up and down. 

 

“Did you see the kitchen? It was amazing!”

 

“And our bedrooms are bigger!”

 

“I’ll have to talk this over with Zen, but I’m so excited!” 

 

~

 

Everyone was filled with joy and talking, except for MC. She sat quiet and morose, while the rest were celebrating. 

 

_ A flash of soft brown. Her mother’s hair. “Happy birthday, Myung!” A hearty laugh. Her father. “Now you go up there, and show them what you got!” _

 

_ Myung nodded and smiled at her parents. She walked up onto the stage. Clearing her throat, she said, “Hello. My name is Myung Choi. I will be playing Hungarian Rhapsody.” _

 

_ She sat herself down and took a deep breath. Myung pressed the keys and began playing. All the years of hard work poured into her music. It moved everyone, almost to the point of tears. When she finished, the audience roared in approval.  _

 

_ “Bravo! Bravo!” Myung put her hand to her head. Her forehead was covered in a sheen of sweat and she was so light-headed. Her head felt like water. And why was the stage floor getting closer and closer? The applause began fading far away as she collapsed on the stage.  _

 

Seven was the first to notice that she wasn’t excited. He walked over to her. “MC? Are you okay?”

 

Not looking up, she replied softly. “I remembered something. My name. It’s Myung Choi. And I’m 22 years old. I was born on May 15. My parents are Jieun Choi and Hin-Soo Choi. That was all I remembered.” 

 

MC looked up at him. To his surprise, her eyes were brimming with tears. Not knowing what to do, Seven gave her an awkward hug. His heart pounding, she leaned closer into him.  _ Shit. She can probably hear my heartbeat. Stay calm, stay calm.  _

 

Everyone else realized soon that not all was well. MC told them that when she woke up in the hospital, her parents were standing there, and they called her ‘MC.’ 

 

“I think that was my nickname, since my initials are M.C.”

 

“Makes sense.” Jumin shrugged. “So do you want us to call you MC, or Myung?”

 

MC thought and replied. “I’d like to be called Myung, please. It won’t remind me of my parent’s faces.” The group nodded. 

 

“Hold up. What’s the time?” Jumin asked in alarm. 

 

“9:30.”

 

“Shoot! I gotta go. Mr. Park wanted me there for a meeting at 10:00. Sorry.” He got up to go change his clothes. Yoosung sighed and put his elbows on the table. “Guess I’ll go play LOLOL for a bit. We’re going to discuss the whole moving thing with Zen, right?” He got up from the table.

 

“Yeah. Remember, your shift today starts at 2:00 today, not 3:00. And study for your exam!” 

 

“Whatever,” Yoosung said irritably. He marched away without another word. 

 

“D’you think something’s wrong with him?” Seven asked after Yoosung had gone into his room. 

 

“Well, duh. He hasn’t been the same since… you know…” Jaehee lowered her voice. “Rika.”

 

“Rika?” Myung asked. 

 

Jaehee and Seven looked at each other. 

 

“Rika was Yoosung’s cousin and was very important to him. When she--” Seven paused, uncertain.

“ … Passed away, he fell into depression. It was extremely hard on him. I don’t know if he’s fully recovered yet, really.”

 

“I see.” They all fell into a comfortable silence, slurping their coffee until Jumin rushed in, breaking the silence. 

 

“Bye, everybody. I’ll be back around 8:00, maybe.” The trio waved goodbye and it was quiet again, until Seven began speaking. 

 

“Um, Jaehee, I had a question. Can I tag along for your shopping? I needed to get some stuff from the mall anyways.” 

 

Jaehee looked over at Myung, who nodded cheerfully. “Sure thing, Seven!”  _ Dammit. Why does she have to be so cute?!  _ He grinned uneasily. “Thanks.” 

 

Myung smiled and turned to Jaehee. “I’m very sorry to bug you, but I don’t have any other clothes. Can I have the ones I wore yesterday?”

 

“Oh, my God. I’m such a dolt. I’ll be right back.” Jaehee’s chair made a screeching sound as she got up, and Myung and Seven both cringed simultaneously. They both chuckled at the same time, which soon turned into full-on rolls of laughter. “You guys are weird,” Jaehee said as she looked at them strangely. 

 

They responded by wheezing at the same time, with got them laughing again. Jaehee shook her head and left.

 

Seven and Myung sat silently until a cry of, “I’LL KILL YOU, YOU LITTLE FUCK!” erupted from Yoosung’s room. Myung turned towards the room in concern, eyes wide, whereas Seven kept sipping his Dr. Pepper nonchalantly.  _ “What happened?”  _ she mouthed. Seven waved his hand dismissively. “It happens all the time. It’s his game, LOLOL. He’s obsessed.” 

 

“Ah.” Myung nodded. She pointed to his can of soda. “Is it really healthy to drink that? Especially this early?”

 

“Eh. I’ve been doing it for the past four years. And I haven’t died yet!” Seven laughed without humor. 

 

“Okay, here you are!” Jaehee strolled in, holding the same sweater and leggings. Myung took them and went to go change. 

 

Jaehee settled down in her chair and finished drinking her coffee. “You like her, don’t you?” 

 

Seven nearly spat out his Dr. Pepper, and a few drops dribbled out his mouth. He wiped his mouth and said angrily, “Why does everyone keep asking me that?! It hasn’t even been a full day since she arrived here!” 

 

“Ssshhh! She can hear you!” Jaehee hissed irritably, pointing to the bathroom. Seven’s eyes widened and he clapped a hand over his mouth. “Shit, shit, shit.” Seven put his head in his hands. 

 

Myung emerged from the bathroom. Looking at Jaehee’s face, she asked, “Is something wrong?” Seven lifted his head up and relief washed over his face. “No, everything’s fine.”

 

“Okay, we’ll go after Seven and I change.” Jaehee said as she left. 

  
“Guess I’ll go too,” Seven said awkwardly.  _ Jesus Christ, I’m terrible at this.  _


	4. Chapter 4

Myung’s heart skipped a beat when she saw Seven dressed in a simple red T-shirt and a black jacket, along with black Converse.  _ Oh, for the love of God, you need to stop.  _

 

Jaehee strolled in wearing a yellow blouse and thigh-length skirt. She slung her purse over her shoulder. “Ready?”

 

“Y’know, Zen would have a heart attack if he saw you wearing that.” Doing an impression of Zen, Seven said in a gruff voice, “‘All men are wolves! Stay away from them!’”

 

Jaehee gave a dry laugh before whacking Seven on the back of his head. “Don’t mock my boyfriend. And for your information, he got me this.”

 

“Okay, okay. Let’s go now?” Myung and Jaehee nodded. Seven called out, “Yoosung! We’re going!”

 

“‘Kay,” a muffled voice replied. 

 

The trio set out for the mall. 

 

~

 

Zen walked into the apartment and was greeted with an odd sight. There were shopping bags everywhere, along with moving boxes. 

 

“Jaehee, what’s going on?” he asked as Jaehee walked into the kitchen, her hair up in a bun. 

 

“We went shopping,” she responded, going over to the fridge and pulling out a glass of milk. 

 

“Well, yeah. I get that part. Why are there boxes?” 

 

Her eyes lit up and she set the glass down on the counter. “Seven! Come here!” she called in the direction of his bedroom. 

 

“Coming!” Seven came out of his room with his phone in hand. “Take a look at this!” He handed the phone to Zen. “Four bedrooms, three bathrooms, the most amazing kitchen Yoosung could’ve dreamed of, and a wonderful living space!” Zen scrolled down and raised an eyebrow. 

 

“I’ll have to admit, this place looks good. And it would be nice to have some more room in here since MC came.” 

 

“Oh, right. Her name’s Myung Choi. She remembered something as we were having breakfast. She wants to be called Myung now. So just do that.” Jaehee picked up the glass and took a sip, looking at the screen over Zen’s shoulder. 

 

“So? Should we move? I mean, it’s literally right above us,” Seven asked, looking at Zen’s face for any signs of approval or otherwise. 

 

After what seemed like an eternity, Zen nodded and smiled at Jaehee. He then frowned. “Shouldn’t we go actually go look at the apartment?”

 

Seven opened his mouth and then closed it. “That may have been a good idea,” he muttered, looking down at the floor. Jaehee and Zen’s eyes widened. “Seven? What did you do?”

 

“I… um…” He gulped and looked at their faces. “I may have already placed an offer on the place.”

 

“You  _ what _ ?!” Jaehee almost dropped her milk. Instead, she gripped the glass tighter until it felt like it was going to break. Zen pressed his hand into her arm as a warning not to get too out of control. 

 

“Hey, Zen!” Everyone’s attention snapped to Myung, who came out of the bathroom, and was twisting her wet hair into a ponytail. She was wearing a simple blue and white T-shirt and black jeans. 

 

“Oh, hey.” 

 

“So, Jaehee, did you talk with Zen?” 

 

Jaehee slowly looked at Zen, who gave an almost unnoticeable shrug. She turned back to Myung. “Yeah, and we’re going to go up there to look at it now.” Jaehee gave a pointed stare at Seven, who looked down to the ground. “Wanna come with?”

 

Myung’s face brightened. “Sure!”

 

“‘Kay, let’s go. Yoosung isn’t here, right?” Zen walked towards the door. Seven shook his head. 

 

~

 

“This is amazing!” Everything matched the pictures on the real estate website. 

 

“Zen! Come here!” Jaehee ran to the master bedroom. “This is awesome!” She gestured around the large room. Zen’s eyes widened as he took in what he saw. 

 

Myung walked around the apartment, inspecting the bedrooms. “Which do you want?” she asked, turning to Seven. 

 

His face turned red and he scratched the back of his neck. “I don’t know. I guess the one that you don’t want…?” 

 

Myung giggled. She playfully shoved Seven. “Don’t say that. I’m the newcomer. I’ll pick last.”

 

“No, no, no. You pick,” Seven insisted. Myung tapped her chin. “If I were you, I’d choose the largest one, since you and Yoosung share a room.”

 

“Makes sense. Well, I guess that one’s the biggest.” Seven pointed to the bedroom at the end of the hall. 

 

“Okay! And Jumin can have the second largest one!” Myung grinned. Seven cocked his head to one side in confusion. “Why shouldn’t you get the second biggest one?” 

 

“Because, if I get the smallest one, our rooms will share a wall! That’d be a lot of fun.”

 

Seven’s eyes sparkled. “Like sending Morse code messages in the middle of the night!” He looked down, embarrassed. “Sorry, that was probably too weird.”

 

“No, no! Exactly like that!” Myung said reassuringly. His head perked up and he beamed. “Well, I guess I'd need to learn Morse code first. Can you teach me?” Myung asked.

 

“Sure!!”

 

“Okay, guys! Let’s go!” Jaehee’s voice came from the kitchen. “We’ll bring Yoosung and Jumin up here later.” Myung and Seven followed Zen and Jaehee out of the apartment. 

 

~

 

A couple weeks passed by. Jumin and Yoosung saw what the apartment looked like and gave their approval. Myung began working at Jaehee’s shop, and was doing quite well at it. Many customers were charmed by her openness and happiness. 

 

The weekend arrived. Jaehee took Myung for Christmas shopping. Spotting a shirt with egg prints on it, Myung held it up for Jaehee to see, and Jaehee smiled. “Do you want to get it?” Myung was about to respond, but then, she saw a similar shirt with bacon prints on it. Her eyes widened, and she picked up the shirt and held it side by side with the egg shirt. “This is cute! Ooh, maybe I could give Seven the egg shirt, and I could have the bacon one!” Myung’s eyes brightened and she looked at Jaehee for approval. 

 

“Sure,” she said, shrugging. Myung squealed and gave Jaehee a hug. 

 

“You really like him, don’t you?” Jaehee asked, smiling mysteriously. Myung immediately let go of her grip on Jaehee and began blushing. 

 

“N-no! It’s just that he’s really nice to me, and we get along so well, too.”

 

“Mhhm,” Jaehee said, not buying it. In an attempt to divert Jaehee’s attention, Myung pointed to the display of male beauty products. “Look! You could get these for Zen.”

 

Jaehee’s eyes widened and she picked one up. “You’re right, these are perfect. He’s such a narcissist; I don’t even know how I fell in love with him,” she said, turning the box over. 

 

“Jaehee?”

 

“Hmm?”

 

“Why do you love Zen?”

 

Jaehee looked at Myung in puzzlement. She set the box down. “What do you mean, ‘Why do I love Zen?’ Like what I like about him?”

 

Myung nodded. 

 

“Well. I guess the only way to describe it is that he makes me happy. Whenever I’m around him, I just feel like nothing can go wrong. And it doesn’t hurt that he’s also good-looking.” Jaehee winked. 

 

“I see.”

 

“Do you feel the same way about Seven?” Jaehee inquired, giving a tiny smile. Myung nearly dropped the cat figurine she was looking at. Inhaling deeply and then blowing out her breath, she brushed the hair out of her eyes. 

 

“No,” she responded flatly. 

 

Jaehee’s face fell. “Aw.” She pouted. “Anyways, it looks like we have to go. Your shift starts soon and we need to go home and get lunch. I don’t have enough cash to get something to eat here. We can pick up something for Yoosung tomorrow. Let’s buy those shirts and leave.”

  
Myung shrugged and set the teddy bear down. The two of them walked out of the mall, unaware that they were being watched. By a man with white-pink hair. 


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, one character tries to commit suicide in this chapter, so there will be some blood. Other than that, not much.

Yoosung sat at his desk, deflated. He couldn’t do anything right anymore. The tears began to build up. He was losing his concentration and didn’t focus in class anymore. Ever since Rika died, Yoosung felt like he was falling deeper and deeper into a black hole. Everything started falling apart.

 

He had wanted to become a vet for Rika’s sake, but he wouldn’t even pass, he was doing so bad in college. It was horrible, pretending that everything was fine. The exterior Yoosung Kim he showed to the world was beginning to crack. He just wanted to end it all.

 

Yoosung went to the kitchen, picked up a blade and went to the bathroom.  _ It’ll be better. No one needs me. And I’ll be able to see Rika.  _ Just the thought made him smile. 

 

He had been sitting in class when the thought first crossed his mind.  _ Wouldn’t it be better to just die?  _ It seemed so easy. Just pull the trigger, and you were free from the evils of the world. Swallow the pills, and be free from unhappiness. Yoosung tried to ignore the thought. After all, he was getting better since Rika died. He had been taking his meds, and the therapist said he was doing good. 

 

But as time wore on, the idea of suicide kept coming into his mind.  _ They don’t need you. You’re just the burden named Yoosung Kim.  _ Finally, the pressure was too much. He was useless. No one loved him. Everyone laughed at him. 

 

Yoosung sat in the bathtub and picked up the blade. He held it against his wrist and bracing himself, he pressed the blade into his skin. The first laceration sprayed blood everywhere. The pain felt like a relief compared to what he’s been going through. He cut deeper, deeper, deeper, until blood pooled on the base of the bathtub. 

 

_ I’m coming, Rika.  _ Yoosung swayed from side to side, before collapsing in his own blood.

 

~

 

Jaehee swung open the door to reveal an empty apartment. She furrowed her brow. “I thought Yoosung was here. He said he didn’t have classes today.”

 

“He’s probably in the bathroom. Look, you can see the light on,” Myung said, dropping the shopping bags and pointing at the door.

 

“Oh.” Jaehee walked to the kitchen and busied herself making sandwiches for herself, Myung and Yoosung. After about ten minutes, she looked up. “He’s taking a really long time, don’t you think?” 

 

Myung looked up from her book. “Hmm. I’ll go check on him.” She walked to the door and knocked on it. “Yoosung?” No answer. 

 

“Jaehee? He’s not answering.” Jaehee set the bread down and made her way to where Myung was standing. “Yoosung?” she asked, knocking on the door. 

 

A low groan came out from behind the door. “Yoosung?!” she asked, panic rising in her voice. Jaehee tried twisting the doorknob. It was locked. She heard the sound of something clanging on the floor. 

 

“Myung, get the key. It’s in my nightstand drawer.” Myung nodded. 

 

“Yoosung! Open the door!” Jaehee said, banging on the door. Adrenaline was pumping through her veins. Myung returned with the key and opened the door. 

 

Throwing the door open, Jaehee’s mouth dropped and Myung gave a little scream. She covered her mouth and began hyperventilating. 

 

In front of them, laid Yoosung in a pool of red, unconscious. A blade streaked with his blood was next to him. 

 

~

 

Alarms blared in Jaehee’s head. She instinctively reached for her phone and dialed the emergency number. Myung was still frozen to her spot, unable to move. “Yoosung…” she breathed. 

 

“Hello, this is the emergency responder. What is your emergency?”

 

As calmly as she could, Jaehee began speaking, though her voice had a little quiver to it. “Someone tried to commit suicide, and he’s unconscious right now. We’re at Lily Apartments, number 134. And he’s already lost a lot of blood. He’s losing more by the minute.”

 

Behind her, Myung had unfrozen and had run to the shower nozzle to rinse off the blood. Multi-tasking, Jaehee hurried to the kitchen and got some paper towels. 

 

“Okay, we will be there in two minutes.” The responder hung up. Setting her phone down, Jaehee rushed back to the bathroom. Myung had begun to rinse off the dried blood. She set her finger on Yoosung’s wrist. Her face paled. “Weak pulse.”

 

“Okay. Rinse off the blood. Can you lift him out of the tub?” 

 

“Yeah.” Myung turned on the nozzle and began washing off the blood. Jaehee ran to her room and laid her hand on some bandages. Her brow furrowed.  _ This won’t be enough. The lacerations went almost down to his elbow.  _ Conflicted, she grabbed some gauze and large bandages. 

 

Myung had rinsed off most of the blood. She went on her knees and grabbed Yoosung’s upper arms. She strained to lift Yoosung out of the tub. Her arms trembled from the effort. The blood from his blue shirt stained the floor, running in all directions, like a river. Her stomach churned at the sight. Myung could hear the sirens screaming below them.

 

_ Oh, God. There’s more coming out of his wrist.  _

 

Jaehee ran in with bandages and gauze. She was about to speak, but was interrupted by a knock at the door. 

 

“That must be the ambulance people.” Jaehee set the supplies down and hurried to the door. Myung got up, and tried to drag Yoosung out of the bathroom, leaving bloody streaks on the floor. Before she could fully do that, two EMTs rushed in with a stretcher.

Without saying a word, and with practiced efficiency, the pair lifted Yoosung onto the stretcher and carried him out of the apartment. 

 

The next few minutes passed in a blur of sirens and questions. The doctors had to ask Jaehee several questions about Yoosung, and by the time they were done, she was a nervous wreck. They also needed to have someone accompany Yoosung to the hospital. Jaehee volunteered. When the EMTs left, a tension fell upon the apartment, though no one else was there. Silence. 

 

Myung began trembling like a leaf in the wind. Soon, it turned into full-on sobs. She cried into her hands, shaking uncontrollably. 

 

~

 

Zen came into the apartment hurriedly. “I heard sirens. Everything o- Oh, my God. Are you okay?” He rushed over to Myung, who had puffy, red eyes and a nose to match. Putting an arm around her, Zen looked at his friend in concern. 

 

She blew her nose and sniffed. Her voice was quivering as she responded, “I-It’s Yoosung-g… In the b-bathroom…”

 

His head swirling with thoughts, Zen opened the door to the bathroom and inhaled sharply. 

 

Blood streaked across the floor and the bathtub. Red droplets led a tell-tale trail to the apartment door, and Zen wondered how he had been blind enough to not see it. 

 

What really caught his eye was a sheet of paper in the sink. Picking it up, Zen noticed the words were veined with water… or tears. He began reading it.

 

Dear RFA and rest of my family, 

 

I’m going to visit Rika. I just want to see her so bad. This has nothing to do with you. I’ll see you all later. 

-Yoosung

 

Widening his eyes, Zen took the paper back to Myung, who had not moved from her spot. He showed the paper to her, who held it delicately in her hands, as if it would fall apart any minute. Myung scanned the paper and tears refilled her eyes. 

 

Just then, the door to the apartment swung open. “God Seven is in the hou-- Myung?” Seven hurried over to the couch and sat on the other side of her, putting his hand on her shoulder. She dropped the paper on the floor, and fell into Seven’s arms. Closing his eyes, he wrapped his arms around her and let her sob into his shirt. Myung shook uncontrollably and sobbed for what seemed like hours. 

 

Mouthing, he asked, “ _ What happened? _ ” Zen motioned something Seven couldn’t quite make out. 

 

When she finally let go of him, the front of Seven’s shirt was wet. Myung inhaled, shuddering. 

 

“Y-Yoosung tried to kill himself,” she said softly. Seven’s eyes widened and his heart began pounding. 

 

Zen interjected. “Myung-”

 

Myung held her hand up and sniffed. “Yoosung tried to die and he’s at the hospital right now. Jaehee’s there. And, he left this note.” She picked up the note and gave it to Seven. He looked over it, and his eyes widened in horror. 

 

Unable to speak, he opened his mouth and closed it several times. Holding the note up, the only thing that he could say was, “Should I call the cafe to say that you won’t come in today? And Yoosung too?”

 

Zen hit his forehead with his palm. 

 

Myung gave a watery smile, despite the stupidity of his question. “I’ll do it.” She got up. 

 

“I’m going to the hospital. See you in a bit,” Zen said as he got up from the couch. “What was Yoosung’s blood type again?”

 

Seven’s face paled. “O negative.” Zen blanched and shook his head. “That’s not good.”

 

Zen’s cell phone began ringing. Pulling it out, he announced who the caller was. “Jaehee.”

 

Tentatively, he accepted the call. “Hey, babe. Yeah, I know. I’m coming over there now.” He paused. 

 

“What?! They don’t have O negative blood?!” Seven and Myung’s head snapped to Zen in worry. “His sister lives in Busan! We can’t bring her here!” He tapped his foot in irritation. “And his parents are also there! What’s that? Bring Seven? But he has--” Zen covered the receiver with his hand and asked, “What type blood do you have?”

 

“AB positive.”

 

Zen uncovered the receiver. “He has AB positive.” Jaehee said something and Zen ran his fingers through his hair. “Myung? It’d be worth a shot. I’ll bring her. Wait.” He covered the receiver again and asked Seven another question. 

 

“Can’t you just hack into the hospital database? They should have her blood on file, right?” Not waiting for an answer, he told Jaehee he’d be back in a second and hung up. 

 

Seven slapped his forehead and groaned. “I’m so stupid.” He hurried to his room and retrieved his laptop. 

 

Zen tapped his foot impatiently as Seven quickly punched some keys and began typing at the speed of light. 

 

“Huh. These hospital firewalls are really easy to break through. Whatever.” Seven scrolled through the list of patients. He grumbled. 

 

“There’s about one hundred Myung Chois here.” He stared at the screen intently. “Hmm. You said you were born on May 15th?” he asked, turning to Myung.

 

“Yeah.”

 

He resumed the search, and after about a minute, Seven paused and said, “Found it.” He breathed a sigh of relief and rubbed his forehead. “She has O negative.” 


	6. Chapter 6

Jaehee sat in the waiting room, wringing her hands together in hope of news about Yoosung. She was in the highest state of agitation she’d ever been in since… well, forever. Her heart had not stopped pounding since the minute she opened up that bathroom door. 

 

The ambulance was the worst. He had laid there, looking so pale with an oxygen mask attached to his face. His normally vibrant violet eyes were shut and his breathing was shallow. 

 

Jaehee had never had kids, but she had taken care of Yoosung as if he was her child. Ever since middle school, he had been one of her closest friends and Jaehee felt a little protective. She wanted to kick herself for not noticing he was falling apart this badly. Jaehee felt like she had failed somehow. 

 

The hospital door swung open and a familiar voice floated in. “Jaehee!” She swung her head to see Zen, Seven, and Myung walk through. Myung’s eyes were red and her nose matched. She was pale and looked nervous. Looking down, Jaehee saw that Myung was gripping Seven’s hand quite tightly, as if she was floating away and he was the only thing to anchor her to the world.

 

~

 

Minutes later, they were at Cheil General Hospital. Myung’s heart began hammering as the sight brought back unpleasant memories. 

 

She felt everyone was watching her, suspecting her. Any minute, she expected a doctor to jump out from a corner and tackle her to the ground. Myung gave Seven’s hand a little squeeze. He returned the gesture and her heart fluttered. 

 

Jaehee led them to the doctor who explained the situation to them. 

 

“The patient has suffered hypovolemic shock,” the doctor said grimly. Seven’s heart plummeted into a dark, dark, place. Zen gasped. 

 

“He needs a blood donor, and there is currently no O negative blood in the blood bank. Most times, we can give fluids through an IV and wait for the blood to regenerate. Mr. Kim’s case is different. He lost much more blood than normal cases. He needs a blood donor, and he needs it now.” 

 

Myung piped up. “I have type O negative blood. I can donate some.” Her voice shook, as if she was terrified of the doctor. 

 

Jaehee looked at Myung uncertainly. “You sure you want to do this?” 

 

She nodded and relaxed her grip on Seven’s hand. He rubbed it, not knowing that she was holding it so hard. 

 

The doctor nodded. “Right this way, Miss…?”

 

“Choi.”

 

Seven cast an uncertain look at her. She ignored him and followed the doctor. 

 

~

 

Jumin walked into the apartment to find it empty. “Huh.” He picked up a note left on the kitchen counter. 

 

Jumin-- We’re at the hospital. Ask to visit Yoosung Kim’s room. Smtg happened. Explain later. 

\- Zen

 

His heart rate escalated and his hands began shaking as he grabbed his bag and ran all the way to the hospital. Bursting through the doors, he asked to be directed to Yoosung’s room. 

 

The nurse eyed him suspiciously. After all, he had a sheen of sweat covering his forehead, and he was still wearing his work clothes, which were all rumpled up. 

 

“Right this way to room 809, sir,” she said after what seemed like an eternity, pointing to her left. Jumin nodded his head in thanks and hurried to the room. 

 

He opened the door and saw everyone sitting on a couch near the window. 

 

“Hey,” he said, closing the door quietly. Looking over at the bed, Jumin’s heart sank. Yoosung had bandages on his wrist going almost all the way up to his elbow. An oxygen mask was attached to his face as he slept. 

 

“Hey,” Jaehee replied softly. Her face looked haggard, as if she hadn’t slept in days. Myung was no better. Seven was beside himself with worry, which was normal, considering that Yoosung was his best friend. Zen was taking a nap and was snoring quietly. 

 

“What happened?” Jumin kept his voice even and devoid of emotion.

 

“He tried to commit suicide by cutting his wrists,” Jaehee said. Jumin’s eyes betrayed his emotions, but there was no other reaction. “When we found him, he already lost a lot of blood and he was unconscious. The ambulance took him here and the doctor told us he needed a blood donor. Luckily, Myung had the same blood type as Yoosung, so it’s fine. We finished the transplant about fifteen minutes ago.”

 

Jumin looked at Myung, who was sitting with her head in her hands.

 

“So all we can do is wait?” Jumin asked. 

 

“Yup.” Jaehee sighed. 

 

~

 

A shriek erupted from the room next door and Jumin dropped his phone at the sound of screaming and put his hand to his chest. “Holy crap,” he muttered, as the screaming continued. The others had a similar reaction and Myung gave a little yelp. Zen jolted awake. 

 

There was no change in Yoosung’s condition. The doctors were puzzled. “We gave him a transplant; I don’t know why he isn’t awake now. His brain is fine, everything’s working.” The nurse chewed at the end of her pencil. 

 

Several hours passed. Seven received an urgent call from work and had to leave. “This late?” Myung asked. Seven shrugged. “Yeah.”

 

Zen and Jumin had to leave too because of their work schedule. Soon enough, Jaehee had to go at around 8:00 to close up the shop. “You don’t have to come in tomorrow, if you don’t want,” she said, getting up from the couch. 

 

Myung waved her hand dismissively. Jaehee nodded and left. She was alone. 

 

“Hey. Yoosung?” she whispered, going to his bedside. Tears began forming behind her eyes. “I haven’t known you for very long, but please, please, come back to us. You mean so much to everyone else, and they’d be crushed if you lost this fight. I implore you.”

 

She searched his face for any kind of change. Myung sighed. Of course there wouldn’t be. Yoosung’s face was as still as a rock. 

 

~

 

Jaehee walked into the apartment. She plopped down on the couch and sighed. She massaged her temples and leaned into the pillows. 

 

Something she didn’t feel often began bubbling up inside of her. A tightness clamped her heart until it seemed like it would burst. Pressure began building up behind her skull and in her throat. Jaehee didn’t even know she was crying until she noticed a wet spot on her knees. 

 

Silent sobs began wracking her body and she put her head in her hands. Jaehee, the woman who wished to repress her feelings, was feeling emotion. Yes, she showed emotion on a daily basis, but this was different. Sadness was one feeling she kept tucked away deep down inside of her, never to see the light of day. Occasionally, it resurfaced. But never this badly. 

 

She felt an arm going around her shoulder and a hug encircled her upper body.  _ Zen.  _ In the midst of crying, she hadn’t heard the apartment door open. Jaehee cried into the familiar chest without abandon, completely soaking the front of the shirt. “Is h-he going to die?” she asked, tears distorting her words. 

 

“Shhh. No, he’ll be fine.” Zen stroked her hair and slowly, she quieted down. Taking a shuddering breath, Jaehee released herself from Zen’s embrace and sat up. “It’s going to be okay, babe. Don’t worry,” Zen said calmly. 

 

“I look like a mess, don’t I?” Jaehee gave a watery smile. Her face was red and blotchy, her nose matched. “Nope! You look as beautiful as always.” Zen kissed her forehead. 

 

Jaehee gave a tiny grin. She was trying so hard to smile, even though the darkness was still clamping at her heart. 

 

~

 

Yoosung did not wake up. Not the next morning or the one after that. One day, an unexpected visitor showed up. Jumin was sitting in the waiting room, typing up a document for Mr. Park on his laptop. 

 

“Hello, Jumin.”

 

His head snapped up and a sight he hadn’t seen in years greeted him. 

 

“V?” Jumin stammered, slamming his laptop shut. “Why are you here?” Nothing had changed in his appearance, save for the cane he carried and a pair of sunglasses perched on his nose. 

 

He laughed and sat down next to Jumin. “Well, I heard that someone very close to me was in the hospital. So, naturally, I come to visit.”

 

“What’s up with the cane?” Jumin pointed. “And the sunglasses?”

 

V sighed and took off his glasses. Underneath them were a pair of milky white eyes, not even a trace of the original turquoise color. Jumin nearly dropped his laptop. “You’re blind?!” he exclaimed, a little too loudly. Heads turned in their direction and the pair got a couple odd glances. 

 

“Ssh! And, no, I’m not totally blind. I can still see a little bit out of my left eye. Also, where’s Yoosung? Do you know if he’s awake?”

 

Jumin shook his head. “He’s in a coma, despite getting a blood transplant. If you want to go see him, you can. It’s in room 809. I’ll take you there.” He got up and put his laptop in his backpack. 

 

“Thanks, Jumin,” V said as the two of them walked down the hall. “So, how’s your dad?”

 

Jumin’s face soured. “Let’s not talk about that.”

 

V nodded knowingly as they reached room 809. He knocked on the door and a voice responded, “Come in.”

 

Opening the door, V saw two faint brown patches and a yellow spot on the bed. “Is that you, Jaehee?” he asked.

 

“Oh! Hi, V. Haven't seen you in a while. Everything's good?” She looked at Jumin, wordlessly asking for an explanation. He shrugged. 

 

“And who’s the other person sitting next to you?” V pointed in the direction of Myung. 

 

“Oh, Seven didn’t tell you? That’s Myung. She moved in with us about two weeks ago. I’m sure Jumin can tell you all about that later.”

  
V nodded and sat down on a chair on Yoosung’s bedside. He took a breath and began speaking. 


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Longer chapter! Hope you guys enjoy it. :)

A steady beeping filled the air, though it sounded far, far away. A milky whiteness danced before his eyelids.  _ Is this the afterlife?  _ A familiar voice echoed through the fog that was his brain. “Hi, Yoosung.”

 

Just hearing that voice made his blood boil.  _ V.  _ That bastard. Yoosung wanted to reach up and strangle him, but his limbs felt disconnected from his body. He was floating away. Everything that had been Yoosung Kim was slowly being torn apart and blown away, like pieces of paper. 

 

Wait. Why was V here? If Yoosung had died, where was Rika? 

 

His confusion grew. 

 

V’s voice continued speaking and the sound was becoming clearer by the minute, as if the fog was slowly clearing.  “I know I’m the last person you would’ve wanted to see if you do wake up. But I merely came here to talk to you, and to hope that you’re listening inside that coma.”

 

_ Coma? I’m dead, how can I be in a coma?! _

 

It dawned on him and the realization hit him like a wave.  _ I didn’t die at all.  _ He was alive and Rika was gone. Gone, gone, gone. Never to be seen again. Yoosung bolted up in his bed and screamed as loud as he could. 

 

~

 

Zen popped his earbuds in and left the apartment. In his hand was a bag of food and a change of clothes for Jaehee and Myung who had been basically living in the hospital for the past few days. 

 

Entering the hospital, he found people staring at him. Zen had gotten used to it for the most part, but it still felt a little weird. Heading to Yoosung’s room, he knocked on the door. He was answered with a loud scream. Zen could hear Jumin yell, “Holy crap!” A thud came from in the room. 

 

Hurriedly, Zen swung open the door to be greeted with an extremely odd sight. Yoosung had V-- who Zen had not seen in a year-- by the throat and Jumin and Jaehee were pulling V back while Myung was trying to pull Yoosung’s arms away. 

 

Yoosung roared, “IT’S ALL YOUR FAULT!!” and tightened his grip. 

 

He stood there awkwardly not knowing what to do, until V was wrenched away and began massaging his neck. Yoosung was staring daggers into him, and Myung was patting his arm in an attempt to calm him down. 

 

Jaehee was the first to notice her boyfriend and gave him a kiss on the cheek. “Hey, babe.”

 

Jumin faked gagging at the word ‘babe,’ but Zen ignored it and gave Jaehee a kiss. At that moment, Seven burst into the room, almost crashing into Zen and Jaehee. Yoosung’s face cracked into a huge smile. He swerved around them and waved his phone. “Yoosung! You’re alive!” Seven pulled him into a hug and began laughing and crying at the same time. Yoosung sat with a soft smile on his face, the murderous look gone. Seven pulled away and looked at his best friend. “It’s good to have you back, man.”

 

~

 

Seven had been working on a hacking job when his phone buzzed three times in a row. Setting down his Dr. Pepper, he looked at the phone and saw that the messages were from Myung. A warmth spread over his chest involuntarily. Reading them, he nearly spit out his drink. 

 

**[SEVEN]**

 

**[HES AWAKE]**

 

**[GET OVER HERE NOWWW]**

 

Jumping up from his bed, Seven knocked his laptop to the ground and pulled on his jacket. Running through the cold December dusk, he felt like yelling out to the world,  _ He’s awake! HE’S AWAKE!!  _ Fueled on equal parts caffeine and happiness, Seven rushed all the way to his best friend’s room. 

 

~

 

Jaehee’s heart swelled with joy. Yoosung was far from being okay, but he was alive. Plus, everyone was back together. Well, except Rika. V was doing fine, despite the sunglasses he refused to take off. Jumin promised to explain everything later. 

 

The doctors had said that Yoosung could be discharged tomorrow, but that they had to keep changing his bandages and that he had to go to a therapist three times a week. 

 

V left sometime after Yoosung woke up, and no one saw him leave. Yoosung muttered, “Thank God.”

 

When Yoosung returned back home, it was as if a bulb had been turned on, flooding the apartment with light. The atmosphere brightened up considerably and everyone was beaming. Myung’s face was hurting from smiling so much. 

 

Seven, especially, was a firecracker. He kept bouncing around, and Myung was certain it wasn’t from all the Dr. Pepper he’d been consuming. 

 

~

 

Christmas Eve rolled around, and everyone was in high spirits. Myung reviewed her list of presents. For Seven, she got the egg shirt. For Yoosung, she had gotten a teddy bear and a popular novel. For Jaehee, Myung had slipped in a relatively inexpensive special edition brand of coffee beans. For Zen and Jumin, she struggled a bit, as she didn’t know them as well as the others. But she bought the former a pair of high quality headphones that she found cheap in the mall. For Jumin, Myung decided on a messenger bag from the thrift store that looked as good as new. 

 

She sighed. Given her meager salary, all the gifts were very low priced. Except for the egg shirt. Myung groaned as she imagined how Jaehee would make fun of her. 

 

“Myung! If you want food, you better come here!” Jaehee called out. 

 

“Yeah, I’m coming!” Myung responded, getting up from her bed. Well, her temporary bed. Jumin had been sleeping on the couch, and Myung had felt terrible. Many times she insisted that Jumin take his bedroom back, but he refused. It was sort of comical, considering the couch was five and a half feet long, and Jumin was six feet tall. 

 

Walking out to the dining area, she was a little surprised to see everyone still there. Myung assumed that some would be gone to visit their families for the holidays. “I don’t mean to be nosy, but don’t you guys normally visit your families for the holidays?” she asked, pulling a chair out and sitting down. 

 

Zen and Jaehee shared an uneasy glance. “We should probably tell you about everything. But we’ll do that later. Now, we feast!”

 

~

 

Seven sat up in his bed. Soft light shone through the window. He remembered what day it was and groaned. Pulling himself out of bed, he walked to the kitchen.  _ No point in starving while waiting for people to wake up.  _ Seven made himself a bowl of cereal and sat at the breakfast bar, munching on his Cheerios. 

 

“Hey, Merry Christmas!” Myung said excitedly as she walked into the kitchen. “Oh, hey,” Seven responded glumly. 

 

“What’s wrong?”

 

“Nothing.” Seven waved his hand dismissively. “Can you tell me about everything? Like, you know, why Yoosung hates that V guy and why no one went home to visit their families for the holidays? No one explained it to me yesterday, even though Zen said he would. You don’t have to if you don’t want to.”

 

Seven sighed and thought for a bit. “I think it’s okay if I explain.” He took a breath and launched into the story. 

 

~

 

“Originally, there were only three. Jumin, Zen, and Jaehee. They were the same age, and in the same grade. Yoosung lived in the same neighborhood as them, as did Rika and V. The neighborhood was in the suburbs of Seoul. My family lived a bit further away, but V took me under his wing when I became 14. He’s basically my savior. Yoosung was my next door neighbor. We soon became very, very close friends. Later on, he introduced me to the older kids, Jaehee, Zen and Jumin. All five of us clicked together instantly. Well, except Zen and Jumin, but I’ll explain that later. 

 

“So, when Yoosung and I got out of high school, Jaehee and Zen were already dating and the three of them had got an apartment in Seoul. Since Yoosung wanted to go to SKY University, we decided to move in with Jumin, Jaehee and Zen. 

 

“I had already gotten an offer from the government when I moved in with V, so I was already working for them by time we graduated. So that’s how we ended up here. 

 

“Now, about why we don’t talk to our families as much: My mother was a pretty abusive person, so I guess you can infer about that.” Myung nodded. 

 

“Yoosung’s family moved to Busan, in the south. So they don’t talk a whole lot. Jaehee’s parents died when she was young, and she lived with her relatives for the majority of her childhood. Zen’s family wasn’t supportive of his dream, and they cut off all ties with him. Jumin’s situation is a little… touchy. 

 

“Basically, what happened was that Jumin’s dad is the director of C&R, one of the biggest corporations in Korea.”

 

Myung’s eyebrows shot up. “So then shouldn’t he be living in a penthouse with servants all around him?”

 

“You see, one day, I think in the last year of high school, Mr. Han found Jumin kissing a boy. Without asking for an explanation, he disowned Jumin.” Myung gasped. 

 

“That’s terrible!” she exclaimed. 

 

Seven nodded. “And there you have it. We used to call ourselves the RFA, for Rika’s Fundraising Association, but I think it should be renamed to the Ruined Families Association.” He snickered and took a bite of his cereal. 

 

“Wait, fundraising association?” Myung asked, tilting her head to the side.

 

Seven smacked his head. “Right, that’s the most important part! So basically, Rika and V were dating and decided to start a fundraising association where they organize parties to raise money. The five of us helped and Jumin and V became very close. Unfortunately, Rika… um… committed suicide about two years ago. So the parties stopped, since she had the guest information and all.”

 

“Hmm.” Myung nodded thoughtfully. “Hang on. Doesn’t Jumin work for C&R?”

 

“Yeah, that’s the ironic part. Plus, the position he has right now was Jaehee’s old job.”

 

“Well. That explains just about everything.” Myung got up and got a glass of water. “Wait, you didn’t tell me about why Yoosung hates V.”

 

Seven looked uneasy. “I think it’s be better if Yoosung explained that.” His eyes darted to his bedroom door as it opened up. “Speaking of which, here he is!” As if on cue, Yoosung walked in, his bandages with red spots on them. 

 

“Hey.”

 

“Dude, you should change your bandages.” Seven pointed. 

 

Yoosung shrugged and got a bowl of cereal. “Merry Christmas, by the way.” He looked in mild interest at the tree in the corner. “Should we wait for everyone to come, or should we open them up?”

 

“Nah, let’s wait.” Myung made herself a bowl of cereal and the trio munched silently until everyone else woke up.  _ This probably isn’t the best time to ask Yoosung about V.  _

 

Soon enough, a call of, “Merrrrryyyy Christmas, everyone!” rang out. Zen strolled into the living room with a smile plastered to his face. Jaehee came out of the room wearing a bathrobe and gave everyone a hug. 

 

A minute or two later, Jumin sat up groggily from his spot on the couch. “It’s Christmas, right?” 

 

“Yes, Jumin. Now get your ass over here so we can start opening the presents!” Zen said. 

 

“Jesus Christ,” he muttered, throwing off the blankets and trudging over to the Christmas tree. 

 

Jaehee picked up a shoddily wrapped package and read the tag. “To Yoosung.” She handed the present to it’s owner and gestured for him to open it up. 

 

He tore it open carefully and peeled away the paper. Yoosung lifted out several pieces of paper and a knit sweater. His eyes widened. “Oh, my God. LOLOL coupons?! And a sweater?!” He tackled Seven in a big hug. “Thanks, man! You’re amazing!”

 

“Only for my best friend.” Seven winked. 

 

“You’re next, Seven.” Jaehee tossed a package to Seven, who caught it neatly. He pulled out a shirt with eggs printed all over it. His eyebrows shot up. “Who’s it from?” Zen asked. 

 

Seven’s head turned towards Myung, who gave a tiny nod. He leaned over and whispered, “I really like it.” 

 

He didn’t see Myung turn a deep red as he turned his head away. 

 

The gift giving went on for quite some time, until everyone ended up with five gifts. Myung received a novel about a girl lost in another dimension and who had lost her memory. It seemed rather ironic and Jumin said that was the reason why he’d gotten it. 

 

She received a shirt she’d had her eye on for a while from Jaehee, a sketchbook from Zen, the aforementioned novel from Jumin, a candle from Yoosung, and a massive plush bear from Seven. 

  
Everyone was in good spirits. 


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, this one is kinda short.

Several weeks passed by. The offer on the apartment was already placed, but it’d take them a while to get it confirmed. Everyone waited in anticipation and excitement.  

 

Everyone’s lives seem to have gotten much brighter since Myung entered their existence. She was charming and bubbly. Everyone had a natural attraction to her, especially Seven. Jumin smirked to himself. It was good to see Seven come out of his shell. After Rika’s death, everyone was hit hard, but Yoosung and Seven were devastated. 

 

Rika was Yoosung’s cousin, after all. If he didn’t feel worse than others, it’d be considered odd. Seven… Jumin suspected he had unrequited feelings for her.

 

Seven claimed not to have a crush on Myung, yet it was so obvious, even V could see it. Jumin sniggered, but then went back to his serious composure. Blindness was not something to joke about. 

 

If it was even possible, Jumin thought that Seven had fallen in love with Myung. They were perfect together! In the past weeks, many parts of her memory had been regained, and she found out that she and Seven had many of the same interests. Myung had even bought herself a shirt with bacon prints all over it, and had given Seven a shirt covered in prints of eggs. Seven had become as red as his hair at that point. It was quite funny, really. But the reason why she ended up in the hospital was still unknown. 

 

He shrugged and sipped his coffee as he boarded the subway. Trying to find a good seat was the issue. There was a very large chance that a druggie or someone would end up trying to mug him, or something of the sort. It was, after all, 11:00 PM. Anything could happen in this city. 

 

Luckily, the train was nearly empty, save for a couple women who were clearly drunk and a strange man with whitish pink hair.  _ Hold up. Didn’t Myung say the strange man who came out from the alley had whitish pink hair?  _ Jumin shuddered involuntarily and tried to shrug the uneasy feeling off of him.  _ Just a coincidence.  _ Yet, he couldn’t shake the feeling that the man was staring at him intently. 

 

Thankfully, nothing happened. The ride was uneventful. When he arrived at the apartment, he was met with the smell of beef floating through the air. 

 

“Heya, Jumin.” Yoosung waved from his spot near the kitchen stove. Everyone else was seated at the table. 

 

“Hey. Looks like I’m in time for dinner,” Jumin said. Dropping his bag on the floor, he seated himself at the table. 

 

Soon enough, everyone was digging into their food. “This is amazing, Yoosung!” Myung patted his arm, and Yoosung gave a genuine smile, the first on Jumin had seen in weeks. His insides warmed. 

 

“Okay, everyone. I have an announcement,” Jaehee said, setting down her fork. 

 

Seven’s eyes widened. “You’re pregnant?! It’s either that, or you and Zen are getting married. Ooh, it’d be really cool if Zen proposed today, on New Year’s Eve!”

 

Zen facepalmed and Jaehee said crossly, “It’s neither of those.”

 

“Oh. Dammit! I always wanted to be called Uncle Seven,” said Seven. Jaehee rolled her eyes and continued. “It’s about the apartment.” A hush fell over the table. 

 

“We got it.”

 

~

 

“We got it.”

 

Cheers erupted from everyone’s mouth. Seven found himself jumping up and down, holding Myung’s arms. In his frenzy of happiness, he was unaware of his actions and let his instincts take control. 

 

He kissed Myung. 

 

At first, Seven wasn’t even aware that he was kissing her. But when he did realize, he broke away abruptly. A blush filled his whole face until he felt like a burning tomato. “I-I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to!” Seven looked down at the floor, expecting a slap of some sort. 

 

What happened next, he did not expect. 

 

Myung tilted his head up, and gave him a kiss. It was like everything he imagined. Her lips were soft and warm. When she finally broke the kiss, both of them were breathless and red-faced. 

 

“Yes!” Yoosung punched his fist and the air and gave a big grin. More cheers erupted. Zen clapped him on the back, and Jaehee hugged him tightly. 

 

Seven looked at Myung. She gave him a sheepish smile. 

 

A man, watching them, grinned.  _ This is getting so much more interesting.  _

 

~

 

“10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2… 1! Happy new year!” 

 

Zen and Jaehee kissed at the words, “Happy new year!” Myung, her face burning, gave Seven a peck on the cheek. 

 

Jumin looked glumly at Yoosung. His eyebrows shot up. “Dude. No.” 

 

Jumin laughed. “I was joking.” Yoosung grinned and the two friends hugged and yelled, “Happy new year!”

 

Little did they know, a man with white hair was also celebrating, but in a different manner. “Happy new year, indeed, dear brother,” he said bitterly, taking a swig of soda and staring holes into his computer monitor. 


	9. Chapter 9

Hey guys! As you can see, this isn't actually a chapter, but I have something to say. I will probably have to take a break from this fic (maybe a month to two months...?) since I have too many things going in my life at this point in time. But I promise, promise, promise, that I will continue writing this one maybe around the time that school lets out (middle of June). Until then, bye! 

 

PS: Thank you so much for the kudos and comments! It really brightened up my day!! :)


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaaaaand I'm back everyone!!!

“That’s it, the last box from Jumin’s room.” Zen dropped a cardboard box and wiped his forehead. Myung nodded and ticked off the last box on her checklist. 

 

“Okay, now we move onto Seven and Yoosung’s room. Did they pack up their stuff?” 

 

Zen nodded tiredly. “Before we go back down, can we take a break? Like, maybe at the cafe?” Myung shrugged and set down her clipboard.

 

Grabbing her coat, she headed out the door. Zen followed and muttered under his breath, “Thank God.” 

 

~

 

“So. How’ve you been?” Myung plopped down in the booth and sipped her coffee, making a slurping noise as she did it. 

 

Zen shrugged. “I’ve been trying to get a new acting job, but it isn’t quite working out. I can’t teach in an acting school forever. It’s--”

 

He was interrupted by a young man clearing his throat. He had a kind face and his face crinkled when he beamed at them. His vibrant green eyes clearly indicated that the male was a foreigner. Black hair was swept to the side and framed his face. 

 

“Hello,” the man said without a trace of an accent. Something was off.  _ There was no way he could speak Korean that well!  _ Zen gave a discreet shrug and sipped his coffee. Myung shot a glance at Zen. 

 

_ Thanks a lot.  _ Myung grimaced internally as she forced a grin and replied. “Hey. Do you need something?”

 

“Yeah, I just need help getting to the COEX Mall. I’m supposed to meet my brother at the mall, and my phone died. Some guy gave me directions, but I don’t think I’m in the right place.” The man gave a weak chuckle, waving his phone as if it would certify his story. 

 

Zen whistled. “Well, bud, you’re a long way from there. Almost an hour or so.”

 

The man’s face fell. “Oh. Do you have a map or…?” 

 

Myung stood up. “I think my friend has a map somewhere. I’ll go get it.” She strode off to the counter to talk to Jaehee. Zen turned his head towards the man. “So, what’s your name?”

 

The man replied immediately. “Ha-Joon.” Zen nodded and motioned for the man to take a seat. He struck up a friendly conversation and soon the two were talking animatedly. 

 

~

 

“Oi, Jaehee!” Myung leaned an elbow on the counter and waved her hand to get the attention of her friend. Jaehee looked up and wiped her hands on her apron. Flour streaked her hair and was caught in her eyelashes. 

 

“And how may I help you, fair maiden?” Jaehee bowed dramatically. “Or should I say, future sister-in-law?” She looked up with a glint in her eye and a smirk on her face.

 

Myung cocked her head in confusion. “Sister-in-l-- Jaehee!!” She blushed furiously and put her face in her hands. 

 

“What? Of course I could call you my future sister-in-law, since I consider Seven my brother. And the purpose of dating is to get married, right?” 

 

“Well, yes, but still! We  _ just  _ started dating. Listen. I need a map. Like a physical paper map.” Looking at Jaehee’s incredulous face, she sighed. “Yes, I know it’s weird. But that guy over there--” Myung pointed to the foreigner, who was having a lively discussion with Zen-- “needs it.” 

 

“M’kay. I think I kept one in here somewhere…” Jaehee bent down and pulled out a folder. “I decided it would be a good idea to keep some in case any tourist got lost or something.” She rummaged through the folder for a couple seconds and pulled a map out triumphantly. “Aha! Here you go.” She handed the map to Myung. Jaehee brandished a pad of paper, pen and highlighter from her apron pocket. “Just in case you need to write down the directions or something.”

 

“Thanks, Jae, you’re the best.” Myung smiled and returned back to her table. 

 

“Okay, mister,” she said, pulling up a chair to the table. “You are here.” Myung circled  **Cheil General Hospital** . “Okay, not really, but it’s right outside.” She shrugged and began tapping the pen on her head as she searched for the COEX mall. 

 

“Right there.” Zen pointed. Myung nodded and circled  **COEX Mall** . “Zen, can you get out your phone and find the shortest route to the mall?”

 

“On it.” The silver-haired male was already tapping away on his phone and held up the screen for Myung to see. She uncapped the highlighter with a loud  _ pop! _ and carefully outlined the route. 

 

“Here you go.” She handed the map cheerfully to the man, who beamed in delight. “Thank you so much! By the way, my name is Ha-Joon.” He extended his arm out to Myung, who gave a firm shake and a grin. 

 

“Pleased to make your acquaintance. I’m Myung.”

 

“By the way, do you guys live around here anywhere? I’d like to drop by sometime again, so we can continue our discussion.” Ha-Joon looked pointedly at Zen. The silver-haired man chuckled and took a sip of his coffee. 

 

“Oh, sure! Here.” Myung clicked open the pen and scratched down an address. Handing the paper to Ha-Joon, she and Zen waved goodbye and the foreigner left the coffee shop with a smile on his face.  

 

~

 

Ha-Joon smirked and pulled the paper out of his pocket.  _ Perfect.  _ Now he knew their exact location. 

 

He walked until he reached a sleek, black car sitting on the side of the road in a parking spot. Ha-Joon slid himself in the car and began driving. 

 

Driving, driving, driving until he came upon a secluded castle in the middle of the mountain forest. Ha-Joon entered the building and walked along the dark hallway until he reached a room with the door painted red. 

 

Grabbing a bottle labeled ‘Hair Dye’, he headed to the adjoining bathroom. Saeran Choi washed his hands and slowly extracted the green contacts to reveal mint blue eyes. He carefully applied the hair dye to his skull and muttered, “That black hair was disgusting.” 

 

~

 

Jumin strolled through the park, an uncharacteristically warm breeze brushing his face. A soft quack floated through the air. He frowned and turned towards the origin of the sound. A small baby duck sat nestled in a bed of leaves. Looking closer, Jumin saw that the feathers were matted with a dark red substance. Blood. His eyes widened and he pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket. Scooping up the bird, Jumin held it precariously against his chest for the rest of the walk home. 

 

~

 

“Yoosung! I need you!” Jumin called out as he slammed the door shut. Said blonde haired student poked his head out from his room after a couple seconds. He had a pencil tucked behind his ear and his hair was a royal mess. 

 

“Why?” Jumin thrust out the bundle and Yoosung’s eyes traveled down to look at the tiny duckling resting in a blood spotted cloth. 

 

His eyes widened and Yoosung grabbed the handkerchief and rushed to the bathroom. “Jumin! I need some toothpicks, cotton, and gauze!” 

 

“Okay.” Hunting around for the toothpicks was no easy job. Almost everything had been put into boxes at this point. Bending down, he scanned the living room for a box labeled ‘Toiletries.’ “Aha!” Jumin grinned and opened it up. Pulling out the needed items, he got up and walked back to the bathroom. 

 

Yoosung was busy watching the duckling’s wounds and getting rid of the matted blood. Absentmindedly looking up to see Jumin enter, he nodded and gestured for him to place the items next to the sink. 

 

After a few minutes, Yoosung lifted his head up and held up the fluffy chick in his palm. “Tada!! Mr. Duckling has been saved. Ooh, can we keep him? Please?” Jumin was about to open his mouth when the door to the bathroom opened up. 

 

“What the hell is that.”

 

“Oh, hi Zen. It’s a duckling. And we’re keeping it,” Yoosung said defiantely, sticking his tongue out at Zen’s horrified expression. 

 

“You’ve got to be kidding me.”


	11. Chapter 11

Ooookay I know I already went on a hiatus, but I've kind of lost inspiration for this fic. I might finish it at a later date, or I might not. Not sure. Thank you so much for the positive comments and kudos, they really made my day and made me smile. 

Have a good day!! 

~ AmenablePerson


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